erg

early energy. lasting wealth.

Money is a system you can investigate, measure, and question.

Each erg module poses a question about the global monetary system and gives you the tools to answer it with real calculations. Every result on this site is computed in your browser, so nothing needs to be installed.

Modules

Module 1

What is money?

Simulate a village that trades without money, measure what money changes, and judge which objects in history have served the role well.

Available Module 2

Purchasing power over time

Model how a steady rate of inflation changes what a fixed sum of money can buy across a working lifetime.

Available Module 3

Central banks and the money supply

Trace how new money enters an economy, then model who gains and who loses as it spreads.

Available Module 4

Reserve currencies and global trade

Model how network effects lead the world toward one dominant currency, test the model against real data, and weigh what the arrangement costs and provides.

Available Module 5

Energy, scarcity, and value

Measure how quickly gold, Bitcoin, and dollars can be produced, then model whether energy creates value or value attracts energy.

Available

Readings

Reading

A short history of currency debasement

Follow debasement from Nero's denarius and Henry VIII's coinage to paper money and the modern dollar, and weigh the case for and against gold.

Available

Approach

Every module follows the same sequence of inquiry. You first commit to a prediction, then build and run a model, and finally reconcile the model with your original reasoning. The goal is not to accept a conclusion but to reach one through evidence you generated yourself.

The calculations run in Python inside your browser through Pyodide, and the charts are drawn with Plotly. The site requires no account, stores no personal data, and works on a school or library computer.